After what’s felt like a lifetime, the first full trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story has finally arrived, much to the delight of scoundrels across the galaxy. Admittedly, many fans were worried about the upcoming Star Wars spinoff after the highly publicized backstage drama, but judging from what we see in this minute-and-a-half of footage, we’re in for one hell of a ride.
If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out and then follow along with us as we break down some of the trailer’s best moments:
Podcar Racing
Before he takes his rightful place as captain of the Millennium Falcon, we’ll see Han Solo engage in a high-speed chase while piloting a podcar. There’s been speculation that Han will do a bit of drag racing, as well, but from what we see here, it appears the vehicle will come in handy after his initial falling out with the Empire.
A Pristine Millennium Falcon
“What a piece of junk!” That’s what Luke Skywalker said to Han in A New Hope when he first laid eyes on the now-iconic YT-1300 light freighter. However, as we see here, it wasn’t always the butterface of Star Wars ships. In fact, considering how spotless it looks, you can’t help but wonder if it would have been better off had it simply stayed in Lando’s possession.
Enter Beckett
Woody Harrelson joins the Star Wars universe as a new character by the name of Tobias Beckett. According to Harrelson, he’s “kind of a criminal mentor to Han,” and he’ll seemingly be the one to bring the film’s core group of characters together. Originally, fans speculated that Harrelson would be playing Han’s mentor from Legends, Garris Shrike, and while we now know that’s not the case, Beckett may still be influenced by him in some respect.
Enter Qi’Ra
Here, we get a gorgeous shot of Emilia Clarke’s Qi’Ra exiting a starship, with an obligatory biped droid in tow. Little is known about Qi’Ra, but based on her line about possibly being the only person who knows what Han really is, it’s likely their history extends beyond the film, itself. In any case, the footage doesn’t shy away from hinting at a possible romance, because surely Han had to sow his wild oats before settling down with Leia.
Childish Landino
Although there’s a lot of pressure on Alden Ehrenreich to do Harrison Ford’s Han Solo justice, Star Wars fandom has already welcomed Donald Glover’s young Lando Calrissian with open arms. We don’t get a whole lot of him in the trailer, but once he cracks that first smile, it becomes abundantly clear that Glover is Lando.
Thandie Newton’s Mysterious Character
Westworld alum Thandie Newton has long been rumored for Solo, and here, we get our first look at her mysterious character. Although we don’t even know her name, it appears as though she’ll be a part of Beckett’s crew, so we’ll presumably learn more about her soon.
Scum And Villainy
It’s not entirely clear what the context of this shot is, but judging by the diverse cast of alien creatures, this could be something of a stand-in for the Mos Eisley Cantina. Then again, perhaps this is the site of the iconic sabacc game in which Han wins ownership of the Millennium Falcon from Lando.
Young Chewie
A young Han Solo movie wouldn’t be complete without a young Chewbacca, and rather than Peter Mayhew, Joonas Suotamo will reprise his role from The Last Jedi as the fan-favorite Wookiee. Thanks to the synopsis of the film, we also know we’ll witness Han and Chewie’s first meeting, and it will be interesting to see how the concept of the latter’s life debt is adapted for the big screen.
It’s Not Han’s Ship Yet
Considering Lando’s in the pilot seat and Han is off in the back, it’s probably safe to assume this scene takes place before Han actually wins the Millennium Falcon. Nevertheless, he certainly gets a taste of what the ship is capable of, as we see Lando make the jump to hyperspace.
A New Threat Awaits
We’ve been wondering who the primary antagonist would be in Solo, aside from the Empire as a whole, and it appears that designation goes to Harley Durst’s Moloch, who we see being flanked by a group of henchmen. The character’s motivations and the size of the role remain unclear, but if there’s one thing Star Wars fans love, it’s an enigmatic, visually striking bad guy. And speaking of visually striking…
Stunning Visuals
We’d be remiss if we didn’t call out the stunning visual effects and cinematography, and chief among the examples in the trailer is this breathtaking shot of a Star Destroyer and several TIE Fighters flying through a cloudy electrical storm in pursuit of the Falcon. Some have speculated that this is our first glimpse of the famed Kessel Run, which would make sense, considering how dangerous the journey looks, but whether or not that’s truly the case remains to be seen.
‘We’re Fine’
Our final shot of the trailer certainly doesn’t disappoint, as the Falcon and its crew find themselves weaving in and out of the tentacled clutches of some sort of enormous space monster. We can’t say for sure what kind of creature this is, but it sure puts the space slug from The Empire Strikes Back to shame.
Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters May 25.